Firearm law reference

Hawaii Gun Laws: Complete Guide

A practical overview of Hawaii firearm laws affecting private transfers, purchases, carrying, transportation, storage, and ownership.

Hawaii applies its permit-to-acquire and registration system to most firearm acquisitions, including private transfers. Carrying outside specified destinations generally requires the appropriate county-issued license, and Hawaii has detailed restrictions on locations, storage, magazines, and particular weapons.

Hawaii Gun Law Quick Facts

Start with the three rules most people need. The full comparison table covers the remaining purchase, carry, ownership, and restriction topics.

Permit to acquire: Generally required
A county police chief generally must issue a permit before a person acquires a firearm by purchase, gift, inheritance, or other transfer. [2]
Public carry by firearm type: License covers pistols only; long guns have no carry license
HRS 134-9 licenses to carry, concealed or unconcealed, cover only a pistol or revolver; Hawaii has no equivalent license for carrying a rifle or shotgun in public. See the handgun and rifle/shotgun comparison table below for the hunting and target-shooting exception. [6][10][17]
Firearm registration: Generally required
Most acquired or imported firearms must be registered with the appropriate county police department within five days. [3][18]

Swipe horizontally to read the full table.

Law	Status	What it means
Private sale background check	Generally required through permit process	A buyer generally must obtain a permit to acquire, which includes eligibility checks, before a private transfer. [2][3]
FFL required for private transfers	Not always, but permit and registration apply	Hawaii does not route every same-state private transfer through an FFL, but the transferee generally needs a permit and must register the firearm. [2][3][4]
Waiting period	Generally 14 days	Most permits to acquire may not be issued earlier than fourteen calendar days after application, subject to statutory exceptions. [2]
General firearm owner license	No	Hawaii uses acquisition permits and firearm registration rather than a separate general license merely to remain an owner. [2][3]
Minimum acquisition age	Generally 21	Hawaii generally issues permits to acquire only to applicants age twenty-one or older, the same floor for a handgun and a rifle or shotgun; narrow minor hunting and target-shooting rules exist. [2][4][20]
Castle doctrine / duty to retreat	Duty to retreat, except from home or workplace	Hawaii requires a person to retreat before using deadly force if they know they can do so with complete safety, and does not have a general stand-your-ground rule; the main exception is that a person is not obliged to retreat from their own dwelling or place of work. [14]
Permitless concealed carry	No	Public concealed carry generally requires a Hawaii license to carry issued by a county police chief. [6][10]
Concealed carry license	Required and shall-issue if qualified	Qualified residents age twenty-one or older may obtain a four-year concealed carry license after training, review, and payment of the application fee. [6][18]
Open carry	License required; limited	Unconcealed carry requires a county-issued license and a showing of urgency or need connected with protecting life and property. [6]
Vehicle transportation	Strictly limited	Without a carry license, firearms generally must be unloaded, enclosed, and transported directly between authorized locations. [10][1]
Magazine capacity	10-round limit for pistol magazines	Detachable magazines over ten rounds that are designed for or capable of use with a pistol are generally prohibited. [5]
Assault weapons	Assault pistols prohibited	Hawaii prohibits statutorily defined assault pistols but does not currently impose the same feature-based ban on ordinary semiautomatic rifles. [5][1]
NFA firearms	Many prohibited	Hawaii generally prohibits automatic firearms, silencers, short-barreled rifles, and short-barreled shotguns despite possible federal registration. [5]
Gun violence protective orders	Yes	Courts may issue ex parte and one-year orders barring firearm and ammunition possession when statutory danger findings are made. [12]
Secure storage	Required	A firearm left on controlled premises generally must be secured, stored in a reasonably secure location, or kept readily accessible to the authorized person. [9]
Lost or stolen reporting	Within 24 hours of discovery	Loss, theft, or destruction generally must be reported to the required county police departments within twenty-four hours after discovery. [11]
Local firearm rules	Check state and county rules	Chapter 134 establishes statewide rules while county police chiefs administer permits and licenses; location-specific county rules may also matter. [1][6]
Private-sale documentation	Official permit records required	The transferor must complete the permit process required by HRS 134-2, and the buyer must complete registration; a separate bill of sale is not a substitute. [2][3]

Handgun and Rifle/Shotgun Rules in Hawaii

Hawaii's permit-to-acquire and registration rules apply the same way to a handgun and to a rifle or shotgun. The clearest place Hawaii law diverges by firearm type is public carry: HRS 134-9 licenses cover only a pistol or revolver, and Hawaii has no equivalent license for carrying a rifle or shotgun in public.

Topic	Handguns	Rifles & shotguns
Carrying in public with a county-issued license	A concealed or unconcealed carry license is available from the county police chief under HRS 134-9, subject to eligibility, training, and (for unconcealed carry) a statutory showing of urgency or need	No comparable license-to-carry program exists; HRS 134-9 licenses only a pistol or revolverOutside a licensed carry situation, a rifle or shotgun generally must stay at the owner's residence, business, or sojourn except for the enclosed-and-unloaded transport allowed under HRS 134-23. [6][10]
Carrying without a license while hunting or target shooting	This exemption is written for rifles and shotguns and does not cover a pistol or revolver	A person 16 or older (or younger if accompanied by an adult) may carry and use a lawfully acquired rifle or shotgun and suitable ammunition while actually engaged in licensed hunting or target shooting, or while going directly to or from it [17]

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Private Sales and Transfers

Quick answer

A same-state private transfer need not always use an FFL, but the recipient generally must first obtain a Hawaii permit to acquire and then register the firearm. [2][3]

The permit requirement covers purchases, gifts, inheritances, bequests, and other ways of acquiring ownership. The issuing police department conducts the statutory eligibility inquiries before issuance. [2]
For an in-state private transfer, the transferor must verify and complete the permit as prescribed by law. The recipient generally registers the firearm within five days, and privately transferred firearms are subject to physical inspection at registration. [2][3]

Do not transfer until the recipient presents the correct, unexpired permit to acquire. [2]
Interstate private transfers ordinarily must pass through an FFL in the recipient's state under federal law. [19]
Never transfer to a person known or reasonably believed to be prohibited. [4][19]

Important notice: A casual bill of sale does not replace Hawaii's permit, transferor-completion, inspection, or registration requirements. [2][3]

Buying a Firearm

Applicants generally apply to the police chief in the county of residence, business, or sojourn. The process includes identification, fingerprinting for an initial application, consent to records review, and criminal-history and eligibility checks. [2]
A separate permit generally applies to each handgun and remains usable for the statutory period, while a long-gun permit can cover later rifle and shotgun purchases for one year. Most permits cannot issue before the fourteen-day waiting period ends. [2][18]
Most firearms must be registered within five days after acquisition. Firearms brought into Hawaii generally must also be registered within five days after arrival, subject to statutory exceptions. [3]

Ownership and Prohibited Persons

Hawaii does not issue a separate general firearm-owner license, but possession remains tied to lawful acquisition, registration, and continuing eligibility under HRS 134-7 and federal law. [1][3]
State disqualifications include specified criminal, treatment, protective-order, and other statutory categories. A person who becomes disqualified may face surrender or seizure procedures. [1]
Hawaii courts may issue an ex parte or one-year gun violence protective order that bars acquisition and possession and requires relinquishment of firearms and ammunition. [12]

Concealed and Open Carry

Hawaii does not authorize permitless public carry. A qualified Hawaii resident age twenty-one or older may apply in person for a concealed carry license, which is valid statewide and expires after four years unless renewed. [6]
Applicants must satisfy eligibility, training, live-fire qualification, records-waiver, registration, and application requirements. The license identifies each registered handgun authorized for carry. [6]
An unconcealed carry license is more limited: the county chief may issue one within that county when the applicant establishes the statutory urgency or need and is engaged in protecting life and property. [6]
Hawaii does not generally recognize an out-of-state carry permit as a substitute for a Hawaii license. Licensees must carry required credentials and registration evidence and must disclose firearm possession during a law-enforcement stop. [6][1]

Self-Defense and Castle Doctrine in Hawaii

Quick answer

The Hawaii Constitution protects the right to keep and bear arms in the same words as the Second Amendment, but Hawaii's self-defense statute still requires a person to retreat before using deadly force if they know they can do so with complete safety, with the main exception being their own dwelling or place of work. Hawaii does not have a general stand-your-ground rule, and a criminal-law justification does not by itself prevent a civil lawsuit for the same conduct. [13][14][16]

Hawaii Constitution Article I, Section 17 states: "A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." [13]
HRS 703-304 justifies using force, and in some circumstances deadly force, when a person believes it is immediately necessary to protect against another person's unlawful force. Deadly force is justifiable only if the actor believes it is necessary to protect against death, serious bodily injury, kidnapping, rape, or forcible sodomy. [14]
Unlike a stand-your-ground rule, HRS 703-304 makes deadly force unjustifiable if the actor knows they can avoid the need for it with complete safety by retreating, by surrendering possession of property to someone asserting a claim of right to it, or by complying with a demand to abstain from an action they have no duty to take. The statute's main exception is that a person is not obliged to retreat from their own dwelling or place of work, unless they were the initial aggressor or are assailed at work by someone they know also works there. No retreat is required at all before using non-deadly protective force. [14]
HRS 703-306 separately addresses force used to protect property, including a person's dwelling. Deadly force to protect property is justified only in narrow circumstances, such as when the other person has used or threatened deadly force, when force short of deadly force would expose the actor or another person to serious bodily injury, or when someone is attempting to dispossess the actor of their dwelling other than under a claim of right. [15]

Important notice: HRS 703-301 states that a justification defense under Chapter 703 does not abolish or impair any civil remedy available for the same conduct. Being legally justified in a criminal case does not guarantee protection from a civil lawsuit, and every self-defense situation is fact-specific and high-stakes. Get individualized legal advice before relying on any of this content in an actual confrontation. [16]

Transportation and Vehicles

Without an applicable carry license or exemption, Hawaii generally confines firearms to a residence, place of business, or sojourn and allows unloaded transport in an enclosed container only between specified destinations such as a dealer, range, repair location, training, firearm show, police station, or a new residence. [10]
Travel should be direct and the firearm completely enclosed in a rigid receptacle, commercial gun case, or equivalent. Hawaii's rules are narrower than treating a vehicle as an unrestricted extension of the home. [10]
A firearm left unattended in a vehicle must be locked out of sight in a qualifying safe storage depository; a locked trunk or glove box by itself does not qualify. [1]
Federal safe-passage protection may apply to qualifying interstate transportation, but it does not replace compliance at the origin, destination, or during unnecessary stops. [21]

Restricted Firearms and Magazines

Hawaii generally prohibits assault pistols, automatic firearms, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, silencers, ghost guns, and certain explosives and ammunition, subject to narrow statutory exceptions. [5]
Detachable magazines with capacity over ten rounds that are designed for or capable of use with a pistol are generally prohibited. Possessing such a magazine while inserted in a pistol carries a more serious penalty. [5]
The assault-pistol definition is feature based. Hawaii currently does not use the same definition to ban ordinary semiautomatic rifles as a class, but other configuration and magazine rules still apply. [1][5]

Safe Storage and Reporting

A firearm stored or left on premises under a person's control generally must be locked in a container or with a tamper-resistant device, placed somewhere a reasonable person would believe secure, or kept on or readily accessible to the authorized person. [9]
The premises rule excludes vehicles, which have a separate unattended-vehicle storage rule. Violations may bring fines, criminal consequences in specified circumstances, and potential civil liability. [9][1]
Loss, theft, or destruction must generally be reported within twenty-four hours after discovery to the police department where the owner resides and where the incident occurred. [11]

Restricted Locations and Private Property

Even licensed carriers generally may not carry in the locations listed by HRS 134-9.1, including government buildings and grounds, schools and childcare facilities, health-care locations, public transit, bars serving alcohol, public gatherings, and other specified places, subject to statutory exceptions. [7]
Carrying on another person's private property generally requires express written or verbal authorization from the owner, lessee, operator, or manager; statutory signage can also communicate authorization. [8]
A concealed carry licensee must keep the handgun concealed, may carry only one firearm at a time, and must comply with rules concerning alcohol, controlled substances, credentials, and disclosure to police. [6][1]

County Administration and Local Rules

The police chiefs of Honolulu, Hawaii, Maui, and Kauai administer acquisition permits, registration, and carry-license procedures under Chapter 134. Forms, appointments, payment methods, and local procedures can differ. [1][6]
Before applying or transporting a firearm, check the current instructions of the appropriate county police department and rules for the specific destination. [2][6][10]

Before Completing a Private Firearm Sale in Hawaii

Obtain the correct permit to acquire before accepting any firearm, including through a private transfer. [2]
Complete the required transferor documentation, inspection, and registration within the statutory deadlines. [2][3]
Use an unloaded firearm and qualifying enclosed container when transporting without a carry license, and travel only between authorized destinations. [10]
Secure firearms on premises and use a qualifying locked depository when leaving one unattended in a vehicle. [9][1]
Verify pistol-magazine capacity and firearm configuration before acquiring or importing an item into Hawaii. [5]
Report a lost, stolen, or destroyed firearm to the required police departments within twenty-four hours after discovery. [11]

Official Hawaii Firearm Law Resources

Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 134

Current state statutes governing firearm permits, registration, carry, storage, and restricted weapons.

Hawaii State Legislature

Permits to Acquire

Current statutory requirements for firearm acquisition permits and eligibility checks.

Hawaii State Legislature

Mandatory Registration

Registration deadlines, inspection requirements, data rules, and exceptions.

Hawaii State Legislature

Licenses to Carry

Eligibility, training, application, issuance, renewal, and license-scope rules.

Hawaii State Legislature

Hawaii Constitution, Article I, Section 17

State constitutional right to keep and bear arms provision.

State of Hawaii

Use of Force in Self-Protection

Self-defense justification statute, including Hawaii's duty-to-retreat rule and dwelling/workplace exceptions.

Hawaii State Legislature

Use of Force for the Protection of Property

Defense-of-property and defense-of-dwelling statute governing when deadly force may be used.

Hawaii State Legislature

Justification a Defense; Civil Remedies Unaffected

Civil-remedies-unaffected statute confirming that a criminal justification does not bar a civil lawsuit for the same conduct.

Hawaii State Legislature

Firearm Statistics and Reports

Official annual firearm registration and handgun carry-license reports.

Hawaii Department of the Attorney General

Federal Interstate Transportation Protection

Federal safe-passage text for qualifying interstate firearm transportation.

Office of the Law Revision Counsel

Hawaii Gun Law FAQ

How old do I need to be to buy a gun in Hawaii?

Hawaii's permit-to-acquire process generally requires the applicant to be at least 21, and this floor applies the same way to a handgun and to a rifle or shotgun. A narrow exception outside the permit process lets a person 16 or older (or younger if accompanied by an adult) carry and use a lawfully acquired rifle or shotgun while actually engaged in licensed hunting or target shooting.

[2][4][20][17]

Do I need a permit to buy a gun in Hawaii?

Generally yes. Obtain the appropriate county permit to acquire before taking ownership. A handgun generally needs its own permit, while a long-gun permit can cover qualifying rifle and shotgun acquisitions for one year.

[2]

Is there a waiting period in Hawaii?

Most permits to acquire cannot be issued earlier than fourteen calendar days after application. Statutory exceptions apply to certain dealers, law-enforcement situations, carry licensees, and firearms being registered after importation.

[2]

Must firearms be registered in Hawaii?

Generally yes. A newly acquired firearm ordinarily must be registered within five days, and a firearm brought into the state generally must be registered within five days after arrival, subject to statutory exceptions.

[3]

Can I privately sell a firearm without an FFL in Hawaii?

A same-state private transfer does not always require an FFL, but the recipient generally needs a permit to acquire, the transferor must complete the required permit procedure, and the firearm must be registered. Interstate transfers ordinarily require an FFL.

[2][3][19]

What disqualifies someone from owning a firearm in Hawaii?

Hawaii's disqualifications under HRS 134-7 include specified criminal convictions, mental-health treatment and commitment categories, active protective orders, and other statutory grounds, on top of the federal disqualifications in 18 U.S.C. 922. A person who becomes disqualified after acquiring a firearm can face surrender or seizure procedures.

[1]

Does Hawaii have a red-flag law?

Yes. Hawaii courts may issue an ex parte gun violence protective order and, after a hearing, a one-year order that bars a person from acquiring or possessing firearms and ammunition and requires relinquishment of any they already have.

[12]

Can a nonresident buy a firearm in Hawaii?

A permit to acquire is issued by the police chief of the county of the applicant's residence, business, or sojourn, so a person with no Hawaii residence, business connection, or sojourn generally cannot complete the permit process the way an in-state buyer can. Confirm current eligibility for a specific situation with the relevant county police department before assuming a purchase is possible.

[2]

Can I carry concealed without a license in Hawaii?

No. Public concealed carry generally requires a Hawaii license to carry issued by a county police chief. The applicant must meet age, residency, training, registration, records-review, and other requirements.

[6]

Does Hawaii recognize mainland carry permits?

Hawaii does not generally treat another state's permit as authority to carry in Hawaii. A person ordinarily needs Hawaii authority or a specific federal or state exemption.

[6][1]

Is open carry legal in Hawaii?

Only with the appropriate unconcealed carry license or an exemption. The county chief may issue that license when the applicant satisfies the statutory need, protection, eligibility, and training requirements.

[6]

Can I carry a rifle or shotgun in public in Hawaii?

Generally no. HRS 134-9 only issues concealed or unconcealed carry licenses for a pistol or revolver, and Hawaii has no equivalent public-carry license for a rifle or shotgun. Outside that statute, a person may carry and use a lawfully acquired rifle or shotgun without a license only while actually engaged in licensed hunting or target shooting, or while going directly to or from it; otherwise a rifle or shotgun generally must stay at the owner's residence, business, or sojourn.

[6][10][17]

How long is a Hawaii concealed carry license valid, and how do I renew it?

A Hawaii license to carry is valid statewide for four years unless renewed. Renewal is handled through the issuing county police department, which can confirm current requirements, fees, and any refresher training needed before the license expires.

[6][18]

How may I transport a firearm in Hawaii?

Without a carry license or exemption, generally keep it unloaded and fully enclosed while traveling directly between authorized locations such as home, a dealer, range, repair shop, training, show, or police station.

[10]

Are magazines over ten rounds legal in Hawaii?

A detachable magazine over ten rounds that is designed for or capable of use with a pistol is generally prohibited. The statutory restriction is not written as a universal ten-round limit for every rifle magazine.

[5]

Are suppressors or short-barreled firearms legal in Hawaii?

Generally no. Hawaii prohibits silencers, rifles with barrels under sixteen inches, shotguns with barrels under eighteen inches, and automatic firearms, subject to narrow exemptions.

[5]

Does Hawaii require firearms to be locked up?

Hawaii requires a firearm left on controlled premises to be secured by one of the statutory methods unless an exception applies. An unattended firearm in a vehicle has a separate locked, out-of-sight depository requirement.

[9][1]

How quickly must I report a stolen firearm in Hawaii?

Generally within twenty-four hours after discovering the loss, theft, or destruction. The report goes to the police department where you reside and the department where the incident occurred.

[11]

Do I have a duty to retreat before defending myself in Hawaii?

Generally yes. HRS 703-304 makes deadly force unjustifiable if the person knows they can avoid the need for it with complete safety by retreating. The main exception is that a person is not obliged to retreat from their own dwelling or place of work, unless they were the initial aggressor or are assailed at work by a known coworker. Hawaii does not have a general stand-your-ground rule, and being legally justified in a criminal case does not by itself protect against a civil lawsuit for the same conduct.

[14][16]

Sources

Educational information only, not legal advice.

GunList does not provide legal advice and does not guarantee that this guide covers every law, exception, court ruling, or local ordinance. Laws and court orders can change quickly. Verify current requirements through official government sources or consult a qualified attorney before possessing, carrying, buying, selling, or transporting a firearm, or before relying on any self-defense or castle-doctrine provision.

Reading or using this guide does not create an attorney-client relationship with GunList, and GunList disclaims liability for any loss or harm arising from reliance on this content. A criminal-law justification for using force does not guarantee protection from civil liability; use-of-force outcomes are fact-specific and high-stakes, so consult a qualified attorney before acting.